The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-18
O'BRIEN AT TORONTO.
RECEIVED WITH ENTHUSIASM.
Speech From the Hotel steps-oransemen Attempt
to Break up the Night Meetins-A
Great Crowd


surging crowds filed the platform and
blocked all the passage ways, overfiowed
into the cars and O'Brien was swept
from his seat and carried almost off his
feet into a carriage which was in wait
ing. The horses pranced about and kept
scattering the crowd. The carriage was
guarded by uniformed men with spiked
helmets, who We're each supplied with
several rounds of ball cartridge, and
from under whose belts polished barrels
omnious readiness. But there had been
no need for them so far.
The Rossin House is few blocks away
and, as the party drove there the crowd
increased and the enthusiasm grew
greater. The spacious rotunda of the
hotel was one mass of humanity, and
away out into King and York streets and
all around was a throng occupying every
available inch of space. To reach his
room was impossible, to register was i'm
possible, so Mr.. O'Brien was hoisted on
mems shoulders to the broad staircase
and there, amid intense excitement, was
presented with an address by ID. p.
Cahill, Secretary of the local branch of
the National League, welcoming him to
Toronto. Mr.. O'Brien replied in a brief
speech, in which he thanked the people
for their cordial reception and said;
o'BRIENs REMARKS.
L assure you that, not for the first time
nor the tiftieth time since came to Can
ada, my heart has been overfiowing with
gratitude for the wonderful way in
which our fellow countrymen here i'm
Canada have cheered Kilbrede and my
self in difficulty and trial. If we were
to live hundred years we could never
forget the way in which you
risked danger in siding with
US against that great and power
full man who left hundreds of poor
men, women and children homeless far
away in Ireland, in Luggacurran. Loud
cheers, hoOts and groans. When |
speak of the heroism our people have
displayed in this matter l need not say L
do not refer TO mere tareats of personal
violence or attacks, because 1 take it for
granted that on this free soil of Canada.
at this time of the day, no citizen of
canada is going To attempt to intimidate
by wild threats or by fiourishing revol-
vers. Cheers and some boots.
Our countrymen in Canada have had
much more serious and substantial So
cial and political risks than that to face
In taking our part against the powerful
influences which are against us in Cana
da to-day. The old instincts of your
Irish hearts burst through every diff
Guilty and danger to be with us in our
struggle in behalf of the poor and OPP
pressed. Loud cheers and some boots.
God bless you and Gou prosper You for
the good will the whole Canadian people
have shown. Loud and prolonged
cheers. mingled with some boots and
misses.
THE MEETING IN QUEENS PARK.
Never in the worst days of Belfast dis
orders was there a scene of more dis
graceful rowdyism exhibited than that
shown this afternoon in Queens Park
when a crowd of Toronto Orangemen
attempted to storm the platform, and
failing in that, to choak off all possibil-
ity of Mr.. VIM. OBrien being heard by
keeping up continual din of groaning,
kissing and cries of .'God save the
Queen" and Rule Britannia. 1t was
O'Clock before the crowd had fully col
lected, and it then seemed fairly esti-
mated to set the number present at 15.-
900, although the people kept pouring in
in such floods from all quarters after the
business had begun that there were
times when 2O,OO9 persons would not be
an overestimate.
Many of the banks in the city were
closed and the students in the University
were let loose. Many of these with
crowds of desperate looking roughs
whose only object in life seemed to be a
row or riot, were organized in a COM
pact band to dispute or break up the
meeting. One hundred add fifty police
men in charge of Lieut.. Col. Grassett,
were scattered through the crowd or
drawn up in files On the outskirts. Sergt.
Seymour was in charge of a squad of
mounted men and when the
disturbance and attempted breaking
up of the meeting took place most deter
minedly took their places, and remained
there from beginning to end of both Mr..
O'Brien and Mr.. Vilbride's speeches.
There were frequent encounters between
the Orangemen and the Nationalists, in
which sticks and fists were freely used,
but no serious damage was done. The
police made little effort to repress the
disorder.
The Orangemen set up two stump
speakers to talk at the same time as Mr..
O'Brien. They roared themselves hoarse
amid the frapti, cheers and wells of their
little coterie who shouted in derisive
chorus at those on the platform PAY
your rent" ..Hurrah for Lansdowne,"
.'God save the Queen
WHAT WAS DONE.
The first signal to interrupt by groan-
ing and singing God save the Queen"
was given on the appearance of Mr. j.
\. Mulligan, President of the local
branch of the National League, as
chairman of the meeting. But he held
out sturdily, as did Mr.. O'Brien and Mr..
Kilbride, and in the end the following
resolution was passed triumphantly amid
an outburst of cheering from thousands
and groans of dissent from small groups
Of Orangemen:
Resolved. That this meeting of citizens
of Toronto warmly sympathize with the
mission of VIM. O'Brien, NJ. P, in
Canada, and take this opportunity of
entering a hearty protest against the un-
Just and cruel treatment of the tenants
at Luggacurran by Lord Lansdowne.
Hunted Him up and shot Him.
RAYNE. La, May 17.-Joseph Collins